My youth story cannot be a knight war

[“You must be joking…”]

【Zaimokuza's arched back trembled violently, and he slowly clenched his palm into a fist, using so much force that his nails dug into the skin of his palm.】

[A tragedy like this, once is enough! It’s enough!!!]

[I chose to embark on this journey in order to avoid repeating the powerlessness of the past, but why... the ending is so cruel? ]

[“It’s just a mirror—”]

[The face of my best friend flashed through my mind at this moment, along with the words he once said to me:]

[——When you see someone’s smile, you want to protect it. It’s a beautiful theme… but it’s not realistic at all, because in reality, there has never been a person who would protect someone else’s smile without any reason.]

[You have always been right, Hachiman. There may really be no such person in reality. Even I am just a "fake" who longs to become a "real thing", but...]

[This has nothing to do with whether it is a "real thing" or a "fake thing". I just want to see you again. I just want to see you again! ]

[I hope to be able to tell you what I have kept in my heart for these years, and tell you about the people and things I have met during my travels. I want to tell you that I did it! Even if it was just a "fake" at first, I really did it! ]

[I fulfilled the promise we made in a joking way! I kept my promise to Mr. Hiratsuka! I protected Mr. Kosaka's smile! I protected the smiles of many people! I completed everything that I had not been able to complete before! ]

[I want to see you again, I want to tell you all this, but this feeling is the real thing without any falsehood!!!]

["——Hachiman!!!!!!"]

[In this dream that was about to collapse, Zaimokuza roared at the top of his lungs, raised his fist again towards the mirror in front of him that was as solid as the Wall of Sighs in the myth, and swung it forward! ]

【Om—】

[At this moment, the golden light that was originally faint and invisible in the depths of his pupils suddenly became stronger as if encountering a raging fire of licorice, and the golden light illuminated the mirror in front of him, like a lit torch.]

【Zaimokuza's originally ethereal body, which was close to disappearing, instantly became solid the moment the golden light flashed out. The silver Yamadam belt appeared around his waist with a familiar humming sound, and the red spirit stone flashed rapidly, with the light sometimes strong and sometimes weak.】

[As the fist is swung, a layer of red reinforced muscle appears on the arm in a translucent form, and the red fist completely overlaps with Zaimokuza's fist, and a blazing flame explodes on the swung fist! ]

[Buzz—buzz—buzz—]

[The world seemed to have stopped at this moment, including Zaimokuza himself, except for the spirit stone on his waist which continued to flash at the same frequency as before, and the rapidly changing red color seemed to be gestating some new color different from the past.]

[And when Zaimokuza's fist hit the wall, the color of the spirit stone finally changed. ]

[——The red spirit stone that represents Kuuga’s omnipotent form has now turned into a blazing golden color like amber.]

[At the same time, a golden glow like a mist also resides on Zaimokuza's fist, and spreads on the mirror surface along with this heavy blow.]

【——Click. 】

[The crisp sound echoed in the silent space, like someone using a kitchen knife to crack the shell of an egg, and there was even a strange sense of pleasure.]

【“…”】

[Zaimokuza raised his head, and his golden eyes were full of stubbornness and determination.]

[Before his fist was swung, a tiny golden crack appeared where the fist touched the mirror, tiny but eye-catching.]

[Click, click, click——]

[Then, as if a chain reaction had been initiated, the originally tiny golden cracks continued to spread to the surrounding mirrors, and at an extremely fast speed, a spider web-like shape was unfolded with Zaimokuza's fist as the center. Each crack was permeated with a warm golden glow.]

【Finally, it collapsed.】

【——————】

[Boundless white light bloomed from the cracks in the mirror, and in an instant it enveloped the wooden seat within a few feet, and continued to spread. ]

[The white door melted away like morning mist under the light, and then a dazzling but not blinding light enveloped everything in the dream, encompassing all the scenes.]

[Whether it was the forest under the full moon, the corner of the campus, the laboratory shrouded in conspiracy and mystery, or the service club where the two had made an agreement, and the Sobu High School campus under the heavy snow... everything disappeared in the light that came, and no longer existed. ]

【Zaimokuza felt as if he had fallen into an ocean of white light, his body was engulfed by the warm light, and all his feelings of weakness were wiped out at this moment.】

[At the end of the light stream, a familiar black figure loomed, and he was still walking steadily. ]

[Facing that figure, Zaimokuza stretched out his hand with all his strength...]

【Dream, it’s time to wake up. 】

29. The Final Chapter of Memory: A Story Because of You (Part )

[The pitch-black sky stretches endlessly, snowflakes fall from the sky, covering the earth with a layer of lifeless white. ]

[But at the end of the black sky, there were a few faint rays of light that appeared and disappeared from time to time. On the other side of the earth, a golden-red outline was slowly rising, bringing a few rays of light to the darkness before dawn.]

[In this world that is about to usher in the dawn, the small town ahead is lighting up with faint lights in the snow, like a bright lamp guiding the direction.]

[Black shoes stepped on the snow on the road, leaving a trail of clear footprints.]

【“…”】

[The boy looked up in the snow and looked at the town at the end of his field of vision. His dark eyes reflected the image of the town that was still sleeping, and he was about to start walking again.]

【“——Hachiman!”】

[But the shout from behind made him stop his raised foot in mid-air, and then he slowly put it back down.]

[“…That’s enough. Let’s stop here.”]

[Hikigaya Hachiman slowly turned his head to look at the white-haired boy who was panting behind him, and a helpless emotion flashed in his listless eyes.]

【“Zaimokuzu.”】

[This was the first time he spoke during this trip, and his tone was just as lazy and weak as I remembered.]

[“Hoo…Hoo…Hoo…”]

[Zaimokuza supported his knees with both hands and lowered his head to breathe heavily. The familiar feeling of lack of physical strength and heaviness in his body made him extremely uncomfortable. He felt that he had exhausted a lot of physical strength after just running at full speed for a short while.]

[Now he looks the same as when he was a student at Sobu High School, wearing his favorite brown windbreaker over the Sobu High School uniform, and his round figure cannot be concealed even with a thick coat. ]

[In reality, he had already said goodbye to this body for many years. When he returned to his original body again, he felt an extreme discomfort, like a strong horse pulling a small truck loaded with loads. The energy consumed with each step was far greater than before. It only took a short distance for him to feel suffocated and almost fainted.]

[But he still gritted his teeth and persevered. He raised his round face covered with sweat while panting heavily, and looked at Hikigaya Hachiman standing in the snow. He moved his mouth but could not say anything.]

【Zaimokuza originally thought that after meeting Hikigaya, he would have countless words to say, and he had already conceived a manuscript of thousands or even tens of thousands of words in his mind, waiting to speak them out in one breath after meeting the other party.】

[But when he actually met his best friend, he found that he could not say anything. The compiled words in his mind dissipated into smoke like sparks in water, and disappeared completely in a short time.]

[Finally, Zaimokuza could only move his lips and asked with a difficult voice.]

[“Are you… leaving?”]

【"Um."】

【Hikigaya nodded slightly and responded to him calmly. 】

【"……where are you going?"】

[Even though he had already guessed the answer, Zaimokuza asked again with a bitter expression.]

【“…”】

[Hikigaya did not answer immediately this time, but turned his head to look at the small town under the slope in front of him, especially focusing on a small and inconspicuous house, with a flash of nostalgia in his eyes.]

[That was his home. Hikigaya Hachiman had spent the best seventeen years of his life in that house, leaving behind indelible memories.]

【"go home."】

【“——”】

【Zaimokuza's palms slowly clenched into fists, and then loosened.】

[The bitter expression on his face disappeared, and he forced a smile on his face, and replied cautiously.]

[“Aren’t you going to go back to the Service Club? Everyone… the captain, and Yuigahama, they miss you so much!”]

【“…”】

【Hikigaya said nothing more, but just looked at Zaimokuza quietly, watching his smile gradually become stiff.】

[“…Well, didn’t you say you were going home? Then can you take me with you? I haven’t been to your house for a long time! I also want to go see the general…”]

[Zaimokuza smiled dryly, but the forced smile on his face had already faltered at some point, and the tone of his questioning voice had turned into a trembling plea by the end.]

[“——Just this once, I can’t take you with me.”]

[However, facing his sincere request, Hikigaya rejected it without hesitation, which completely froze Zaimokuza's smile.]

[The two looked at each other and found that they had nothing to say to each other, because they had already said everything they needed to say during the previous journey, and now they had reached the end of the journey.]

[The moment of farewell has come. ]

【“…”】

[Zaimokuza's twitching facial features could no longer maintain his smile, he lowered his head, his whole body trembling slightly.]

【"sorry."】

[In the silence, Zaimokuza's trembling voice echoed over the snowy plain before dawn.]

[Tick--]

[Transparent water drops drip onto the snow at my feet, and the opposite temperature melts the snow quietly, leaving depressions on the smooth snow surface.]

[Clear tears flowed from his eyes, and in the scene blurred by tears, Zaimokuza spoke with a trembling voice and choking sobs.]

[“I failed to fulfill our original promise. I was unable to write a story that you would approve of before the last minute... I am really sorry.”]

[“I broke my promise, and… I failed to protect your smile. Is that really—!?”]

[“…Raise your head.”]

[A pair of black shoes appeared in front of him, and a hand patted Zaimokuza's shoulder, forcing him to raise his head.]

【Zaimokuza involuntarily raised his head in response to the force on his shoulder, and in his vision blurred by tears and sadness, the face of Hikigaya Hachiman appeared before his eyes.】

【Hikigaya looked at Zaimokuza who was crying and shook his head gently.】

[“Don’t take all the blame for other people’s misfortunes on yourself. It was never your fault. I chose the path I took later, and I deserved this fate… And I never blamed you, and you have no reason to be responsible for me, so you don’t need to worry about my ending.”]

【“——How could I not mind!”】

【Zaimokuza grabbed Hikigaya's arm and shouted excitedly.】

[“I could see the pain hidden in your heart at that time! But in the end, I couldn’t do anything… So I can’t forgive myself, forgive myself for being helpless and despairing towards my friend.”]

[“If I had tried harder at that time, I would have at least fulfilled our promise…”]

[“What are you talking about?”]

[Listening to Zaimokuza's self-blaming words, Hikigaya smiled for the first time, a very helpless and amusing smile.]

[“Didn’t you already fulfill our agreement?”]

【"……well?"】

[Hearing Hikigaya's words, Zaimokuza looked up at him blankly, not understanding why he said that.]

[“Maybe you have forgotten, but I always remember it.”]

[Facing Zaimokuza's confused look, Hikigaya said with a smile. 】

[“I’ll always remember what you said to me that day…”]

……

[“Wait! Hachiman!”]

[Faced with Zaimokuza's entreaty, Hikigaya walked up the stairs to the second floor without stopping.]

[“Perhaps, the story I wrote now still cannot make you agree! But——”]

[Even though Hikigaya's back had disappeared around the corner, Zaimokuza still did not stop talking. He continued to speak stubbornly, with a look of unprecedented determination in his eyes.]

[“I don’t think what you said is correct, but stories are powerful, that’s the only thing that’s absolutely true!”]

[“The reason you think this way now is only because the story I wrote did not make you feel the power it contained, but I will not give up, I will continue to write!”]

[“No matter how long it takes, one year, ten years, twenty years, fifty years, or even a lifetime - I will continue to write this story until one day I write a story that you will approve of!”]

[“But if…”]

【Zaimokuza gritted his teeth and continued to speak loudly.】

[“…If you still can’t feel the truth in my story and think it’s a fake that doesn’t exist in reality, then I will write my own story!”]